


Riding With Him

by ShayLynnD



Series: Being With Them [2]
Category: Lancer (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShayLynnD/pseuds/ShayLynnD
Summary: Murdoch and Johnny took a ride after the episode, Chase a Wild Horse. This story takes place during that ride.
Series: Being With Them [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831969
Kudos: 1





	Riding With Him

This story is 2nd in the series of Being With Them.

Special Thanks to My Beta, Margaret Pollitt

Riding With Him  
by Sherry Dancy

"Say you saw that stand of wild horses up here at Black Mesa?” Johnny checked for tracks as they'd made their way to the high-ground.

"There were about forty, as near as I can figure. The herd will head toward water when the afternoon heat comes in." Murdoch checked the position of the sun.

"Yeah, the day's heating up already. Ought to see some sign soon." Waiting here with his father was not easy, especially after everything that had happened.

Johnny forced himself to relax into his saddle and watch his old man, really look at him. Murdoch sat tall and straight on his mount, surveying his hundred thousand acres. From the overlook, his father could probably see every blade of grass on Lancer. Bet he knew which ones had worried him gray-headed too. Johnny snorted just a little. 

"You say something, John?" Murdoch scooted his hat back on his head and looked sideways at Johnny.

"Just wondering if you like what you see out there?" Johnny eased Barranca up next to his father. He stretched up in his stirrups to better see the vast beauty of Lancer. 

An eagle soared overhead and sung a high pitched tune. Maybe in his eagle-language he was singing T’resa’s words, ‘The most beautiful place in the whole wide world.’ Johnny and Murdoch watched him ride the air, higher, then lower, moving on invisible trails in the sky.

"He sure is free." Johnny held his hand over his eyes, shading them from the sun. "Got nothing but air to breathe, places to see, and no one to answer to." 

"You miss your freedom, son?"

Johnny didn't like the way Murdoch was looking at him—like he felt sorry for him. "Sure, I miss it." Johnny downed his head. After a beat, he raised his eyes to his father's. "I miss calling my own tune." Pausing, he rubbed Barranca's neck wanting to say it right. "I don't miss sleeping with one eye open in a different place every night on hard ground, sometimes cold, maybe hungry. I like being able to plan for the future—didn't use to think I had one." 

Murdoch grabbed Johnny on the neck, and a grin split his face; it made Johnny feel warm all over. 

"John, you have a future at Lancer. You've always had a place here."

"I'm counting on it. Planning on reaching my thirtieth birthday too, something I wasn't sure of not so long ago." Johnny fingered the grip of his Colt. He'd come close to meeting his maker more than once in the past few months.

Johnny wanted to put that lifestyle behind him. The life of a gun-hawk was hard, one lived too fast. He felt he'd been riding a run-away-horse. Like the one, he had raced from the firing squad in Mexico headed toward Lancer in California. 

"Lancer," Johnny breathed in the fresh air. "It's like the fairytales Mama used to tell me about." He looked over toward the mountains and wondered how she could have left this place.

Murdoch smiled at him. "A third of the kingdom is yours."

"Truth, this fairytale has had a few ambushers. You had that trouble with Pardee, I caught that bullet in the back,..."

Murdoch cut him off. "Now, John, every good fairytale has dragons and giants for the prince to fight."

"The prince ever mess up and leave the castle unprotected?" Johnny dropped his gaze. He thought of the problems he'd caused, leaving his work and chasing that black stallion with Wes. There'd been the gunfight with the Stryker boy, Wes dying, and Scott getting shot. "Murdoch, I'm sorry. A lot of bad things happened because of my mistake."

No wonder Murdoch spouted harsh words at him when he returned home. Johnny knew this offer to chase wild horses at Black Mesa was Murdoch's peace offering, and he didn't deserve it. 

"John, I made my share of mistakes." Murdoch shifted in his saddle. "I pushed too hard. Maybe those bad things wouldn't have happened if I had backed you instead of giving in to the Strykers." 

"Not so sure about that. I reckon those cows..." The sound of galloping hooves interrupted Johnny before he could say more.

Johnny turned in the direction of the noise and laughed out loud. A herd of horses led by another dark stallion was headed for water. Murdoch followed his gaze. 

"You ready to tame a wild horse?" Johnny backed Barranca out of the path. It was time to make room for his father to lead the way.

Murdoch grinned, "Let's just give him a better life." And he took off with Johnny following close behind.

June 10, 2020


End file.
